At the moment Poland is a medical travel target for patients from the UK and Germany, but due to the privatization and commercialization of health care in the country medical tourism is expected to bloom in the following years.

In general many medical procedures can be 60 to 80% lower in Poland than in the UK – or the US as a matter of fact. Besides that Poland is a country with beautiful mountains and rather developed infrastructure and services, so it has got high potential in becoming a primary target for more tourist patients.

Areas of medicine with high potential

Poland, a popular travel destination already, with some investment can become real competition for countries that are most popular among foreign patients such as Thailand, India or Turkey.

According to experts the area in which Poland can be highly competitive in the near future include neurosurgery, cosmetic surgery and ophthalmology as well as dentistry or infertility treatments. Thanks to the natural endowments of the central European country, it would also be perfect for rehabilitation.

The present numbers in Polish medical travel

It is always hard to estimate in medical travel because of the complexity of services purchased. We cannot talk only about foreign patients spending money on medical procedures or treatments, we have to consider a lot more factors linked to tourism, such as airfares to Poland, hotel bookings, spendings on sightseeing, restaurants and much more.

Yet we know that there is growth on the Polish medical travel market as well. Probably the country’s highest authority in the matter, the Polish Association of Medical Tourism, claims foreign patients spent about $250 million on different medical travel related services in 2011 which is a another indicator of great potential.

Preparedness to receive medical tourists

Few of the hospitals and other health care providers focus solely on foreign patients. They are mostly treated like any other patient in a facility, but as many doctors and nurses in Poland speak English, a language barrier is not really an issue.

But conditions in most hospitals – especially the ones accredited by the Polish Association of Medical Tourism – are great and they are starting to prepare for the reception of medical tourists with brochures, badges and television in foreign languages.

The next step in the preparation to receive medical tourists would be definitely to start courses on this new branch of economy, medical travel: its specific nature, the needs of the patients, new approaches and all that will help medical personnel to deal with this new industry.